Rirkrit Tiravanija and Tomas Vu to Open Surf Shop at UNTITLED Miami Beach

UNTITLED Miami Beach is working up the buzz for its fifth edition, announcing its slate of special artist projects and collaborations. Selected by Omar López Chahoud, Christophe Boutin, and Melanie Scarciglia, works on tap for 2016 include a surfboard stand from Rirkrit Tiravanija and Tomas Vu.

The piece, titled RV TV Boards and presented by New York’s Nathalie Karg Gallery, includes a display of 15 surfboards emblazoned with lyrics by the Beatles, as well as a number of Pussy Riot-inspired surf boards that anyone can take down to the beach whenever they want to catch a wave. The artists have also installed a functioning shower, so that guests can rinse off before returning to the tent.

“The idea is to break down barriers and create a new experience,” Vu and Tiravanija told artnet News in an email. “We are excited to be able to show this installation in such an ideal setting—UNTITLED is located directly on the beach, so the nature of this project seemed appropriate.”

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It might seem unlikely that well-heeled fairgoers will suddenly take to the surf, but Vu and Tiravanija have faith in their public, noting that“UNTITLED draws a slightly more open and adventurous crowd who are willing to get involved with artists’ projects.” The piece works both ways, and is designed so that “beach-goers could view the fair, art enthusiasts could enjoy the beach.”

UNTITLED Miami Beach in 2014. Courtesy of UNTITLED.

As for their decision to feature Pussy Riot, “we thought it was a perfect match since the political traction is very similar,” said the artists, who got the idea when members of the Russian art collective starred in a House of Cards episode featuring one of Vu’s surfboards. “They represent an act of rebellion, which sometimes art doesn’t speak out enough about. And for us, that’s where it always lives.”

The fair, which recently announced that it would launch a San Francisco edition in January 2017, is known for going beyond the traditional booth structure, scattering compelling performances pieces throughout its beach-side tent and letting artists take control of its lounge space.

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Following up on Maurizio Cattelan and photographer Pierpaolo Ferrari‘s TOILETPAPER space, which was filled with irreverent home furnishings, Brooklyn-based artist Daniel Gordon will present Jungle Lounge, an immersive environment crafted from his large-scale collage-photography.

“The special programming at Untitled, Miami Beach, 2016 continues to be ambitious and exemplifies the fair’s dedication to putting artists at the center of everything we do,” said UNTITLED founder Jeffrey Lawson in a statement.

Also building on the 2015 fair’s success will be the return of UNTITLED, Radio, broadcast on Wynwood Radio. The station’s programming will take the place of the traditional art fair docket of panels and lectures, with a selection of interviews and performances, alongside artist-, art professional-, and curator-created playlists.

The radio station will broadcast live from the fair, from an architectural project created by artist Alois Kronschlaeger and SiTE:Lab’s Paul Amenta, with architect Ted Lott of Lott3Metz Architecture. The space, titled Elevated Structure, will include an observation deck that offers striking views of the art down below.

Noemí Escandell, Diario El Blanco (1995), from the series “Handing Works, From Hand to Hand.” Courtesy of the artist and Henrique Faria, New York & Buenos Aires.

Other artist projects include the third edition of UNTITLED Posters, in which ten artists create free, limited-edition posters for fairgoers, and a restaging of Noemi Escandell’s 1995 conceptual art installation, Diario El Blanco, which will provide viewers with a stack of blank newspapers in which they are invited to “Write the news that you want to read.”

For the first time, the fair will also team with up with the ICA Miami, hosting an exhibition of new furniture designed by New York-based architectural firm MOS in conjunction with the museum’s new Art + Research Center.

UNTITLED Miami Beach will be on view at Ocean Drive and 12th Street, November 30–December 4, 2016.